1. 26 | CSR TIMES | AUGUST 2014 27 | CSR TIMES | AUGUST 2014
WhatisCSRforyou?
CSR for me is a hard edged business
decisionandnotcharity.Itisthefactor
thatdistinguishesyouinthenewcom-
petitive environment. Basis Chapter
XVIIofGita(whichtalksabouttheenti-
ty and its interaction with the nature),
individualandcorporationsalikehave
amoralandsocialobligation/respon-
sibility towards our country, society
and family. Our CSR mission is to
improve the quality of life of the com-
munity, especially those living in the
periphery of business operation on a
sustainablebasiswiththeobjectiveof
achievinginclusivegrowth.
What approach does Jindal Steel &
Power have towards CSR in the pro-
cessfromideationuntilimplementa-
tionofanyCSRproject?
At JSPL, we seek a relationship
between business and society that
does not treat the success and social
welfareasazerosumgame.Weiden-
tifyalltheimpactsthatwehaveonthe
society,determiningeffectivewaysto
addressthem.Whenviewedstrategi-
cally, CSR becomes a source of tre-
mendoussocialprogressasconsider-
ableresources,expertiseandinsights
of the business are applied to the
activities that benefit society. We fol-
lowastrategicapproachtoCSRrather
than a responsive approach. Before
any project is conceived, we analyse
the internal and the external stake
holders. Therefore, the Annual
Business plans are made based on
clearcutdeliverableskeepinginmind
efficiency and effectiveness matrices
andmonthlycashflows.
Howchallengingisittoexecuteedu-
cation related CSR programmes in
NaxalaffectedstateslikeJharkhand,
OdishaandChhattisgarh?
I feel that conflicts over shared
resources can threaten the region.
One of the main causes of concern is
thedistributionofsocialandeconom-
ic resources. There is a stiff competi-
tion over these shared resources and
themechanismstomanagetheseare
notinplace.Thusweworkformanag-
ing resources in an amicable manner
so as to create the right environment
whereby the government can work
towardsconflictresolutionandtrans-
formation. We do face challenges
whileexecutingourCSRprogrammes
but we have been able to tackle them
byimprovingthegovernancestructure
and including all the stakeholders in
our decision making process. Village
DevelopmentCommittees(VDC)have
been formed and the ABP (Annual
BusinessPlan)isformulated/finalised
inconsultationwiththeseVDCs.
Doyouhaveanyfreshprojectsinthe
pipeline?Ifyes,kindlyshareinbrief?
WeareassociatingwithUSAIDandFHI
360 for improving healthy behavior
(IHB)andHewlett&Packardcompany
for a Telemedicine Project in
Chhattisgarh,Jharkhand,Odishaand
Arunanchal Pradesh. We are also in
processoftyingupwithAkshayaPatra
formid-daymealsinChhattisgarh.
Measuringitssuccessontheparam-
eters of lives it has transformed,
which project is close to your heart?
Whatwastheoutcome?
KishoriExpress,oneofourinnovative
programmes that works for the
improvement of the health of adoles-
centgirls(would-bemothers)andcre-
atesawarenessabouttheadvantages
of nutrition supplementation is the
closest to my heart. The Kishori
Express has been able to reach out to
14123 girls across 169 villages of
ChhendipadablockinOdishathrough
480 visits until June 2013. After the
success and requests from District
Administration, team CSR-JSPL has
scaled up the programme to the
neighbouringblockofBanarpalalsoin
Odisha in August 2012 in partnership
with District Health Administration,
National Rural Health Mission
(NRHM) and Integrated Child
Development Services (ICDS) target-
ingtoimprovethehemoglobinlevelof
about 15,000 adolescent girls of
Banarpalblocksoastoensurereduc-
ing MMR due to loss of hemoglobin.
The programme has been able to
reach out to 9381 girls across 118 vil-
lages of Banarpal block through 220
visitsuntilJune2013.
Unlike others, what was the reason
behind taking into account CSR in
Livestock?
Our reason for considering Livestock
as a separate vertical is that our rural
communities directly or indirectly are
alwaysinvolvedwithit.Livestockisan
essentialelementoflivelihoodandsuit-
able support has to be provided for its
development.Wealsobelievethatdur-
ingdisasters,livestockprovidessupport
to household. Also working with
Livestock not only includes develop-
ment and support but also towards
changing the mindset of people. For
instance,inArunachalandotherrural
areas,thelocalcommunitieswererear-
ing animals for consumption only. We
havebeencollaboratingwiththelocals
andotherspecialisedagenciesforusing
these assets in other areas like farm
labor,milkandotherenergyneeds.
Amongst all the possible areas of
CSR, which area do you think needs
criticalattentionandaction?
Education, health and livelihood are
the most important fulcrums of CSR.
Healthyandeducatedpeoplearemore
empowered to make a livelihood for
themselves.Thesearealsothemajor
reasonsforimmigration.Wheninfra-
structureanddevelopmentispresent
in smaller cities, there will be no rea-
son for people to leave their homes in
searchofopportunities.
Whatareyourexpectations(forCSR
sector)fromthenewgovernment?
Government policies provide a struc-
ture for corporations to function. But
therequirementofthemomentisbet-
terstructureandmechanismformon-
itoring,evaluationandreporting.Also
considerationofCSRspendingfortax
benefits would help boost this initia-
tive.
Recently, a report was published by
theIBwhichunderlinesthattheanti-
national activities of foreign funded
NGOs in India could cost up to 2-3%
losstoGDP.Whatisyourtakeonit?
Beforediscussingtheinfluenceoffor-
eignfundedNGOsinIndia,Ibelieveitis
extremely essential to put in place a
mechanism to check the flow of cash
to and from these bodies. It is unfair
and discourteous to the work done by
theforeignfundedNGOsinIndiaandto
brandallofthemunderthesameban-
ner. There should be proper checks
and balances to filter the NGOs and
their funding. Also through proper
implementationsofgovernmentregu-
lations like FERA, there should be a
control on the monetary activities of
theseorganisations.
AstoldtoBachanSingh
Communities should be engaged very closely by businesses with clearly defined strategy.
Therefore, the strategy filters down to its principles of community engagement, processes for
mapping, segmentation of the communities, processes for engaging with the project affected
communities, value chain and the methodology of governance and management. Col. Prakash
Tewari, VP - CSR and Education, Jindal Steel & Power Limited shares his views on critical areas
concerning CSR. Excerpts:
‘We follow a strategic approach
to CSR rather than responsive’
interview interview
CSRT